


A Metzger Family Tradition

by rivlee



Series: Gone Are All The Days: D.C.-Metro Tales [14]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-31
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-17 11:32:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rivlee/pseuds/rivlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It only happens once a year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Metzger Family Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> I have no shame and here is more Halloween fluff. Loaded down with mentions of _The Dresden Files_ , _The Princess Bride_ and _Alice_.

Nasir Karimi wasn’t unfamiliar with Halloween. It was a part of childhood in the United States and Nasir always fondly looked back on those memories. Grandma Karimi had a talent for making amazing costumes out of things they had around the house. Caramel covered apples still remained one of Nasir’s sweet-tooth vices. They even found a way to celebrate the holiday In-Theater and on aircraft carriers. So, no, Nasir wasn’t unfamiliar with Halloween. He’d just never personally seen anyone do it like the Metzgers.

The Metzgers celebrated all holidays with a certain flair. Even the solemn holidays were held with a celebration of life. Halloween was just taken to a whole other level. He asked Agron once, why the family treated it like most people did New Year’s, and he explained that it was one of those distinct, familiar things. The family moved from Marine base to base all over the world as kids and Halloween was that one holiday that remained somehow distinctly American. The family’s own Christmas traditions were influenced by Conrad Metzger’s Bavarian roots. Fourth of July was always started with ceremonies and dress clothes for the kids. Halloween, though, was different. It was that innocent little holiday the Metzger kids clung to, that one thing they could identify with when they moved back to the States and celebrated with civilian kids. They could talk about the same costumes, the same movies they watched, the same ghost stories, and shared the variants of all the types of candy.

Nasir didn’t comprehend the scale of Metzger Family Halloween until Agron moved back east. That found Nasir spending his off-days in August and September helping to build the haunted house in the backyard. It saw him walking the near acre of the property checking the strings of the orange and purple lights. He somehow found himself drafted into baking more dishes that contained pumpkin and pumpkin spice than he thought possible. He’d gotten used to it though after the past few years. Now he sat back and enjoyed the show while Chadara and Diona struggled to understand the scale of this Metzger family tradition.

“You and Saxa have been together for two years. How is this your first Halloween here?” Diona asked as she helped dye some marshmallows purple.

Chadara nodded. “The first year I was working. You’d be surprised some shit that kids pulled on the bases during Halloween. The second year, we were distracted.” 

Nasir knew from the smile on Chadara’s face just how she was distracted. Saxa and her brothers were scarily alike in all matters.

“This is all Duro’s been able to talk about for the past week,” Diona said. “I’ve never really cared about it since I got too old to trick-or-treat. I’ve always been scheduled to work.”

“Brace yourself, Di,” Nasir said. He patted her head. “Duro gets a massive sugar rush. He hasn’t streaked through the streets in two years though, so there’s hope.”

Diona blanched and Nasir had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. It felt good to share the burden of being the good influence with others. It would certainly help the next time Dect. Cobb called threatening to arrest the whole family for vulgar language and indecent exposure.

“Stop trying to scare her off,” Agron said. He wrapped his arms around Nasir’s waist and kissed his hair. “She’s a good one, we want to keep her.”

Nasir relaxed into Agron’s arms. “I’m just giving her fair warning. I wish someone had done that for me.”

Agron’s laugh was low, dirty, and Nasir had to force himself not to shiver. 

“Yeah, you were a little out of your depth that first year,” Agron teased.

“Agron was barely dressed,” Nasir explained to Chadara and Diona. “I was expecting to see him dressed up as zombie. Not some leather-clad gladiator wet dream.”

Chadara and Diona smirked at them. 

“You two are ridiculous,” Diona said.

“And I beat that haunted house got a whole different kind of moaning that night,” Chadara said.

Nasir didn’t bother to deny it. It took him weeks to clean the silver spray paint out from under his nails from where he had gripped the walls when they hid in the corner. God, that was a hell of a good memory. From the uptake in Agron’s breathing he felt the same way. 

“Down boys,” Chadara said. “There are innocent eyes present.”

Agron snorted. “Diona’s sleeping with Duro. There’s no such thing as innocent.”

Chadara looked insulted. “What about me?”

Everyone in the kitchen laughed at her. 

 

*************************

It was unseasonably cold that Halloween night. Nasir was grateful for Agron’s costume. He had plans to steal the leather duster when it started to get too chilly. It was one of the benefits of marrying a man tall enough to pull off a convincing Harry Dresden. At least the shirt of his Inigo Montoya costume was long-sleeved and what he lacked in heavy coat he made up for in sword.

“Do I look absolutely ridiculous?” Nasir asked as he smoothed out his costume.

“You look fucking gorgeous,” Agron said. He adjusted the black fedora on his head. “And do I look the part?”

“Wizard or some grown man LARP-ing, either way it works,” Nasir teased. He pulled Agron down into a quick, deep kiss. He then recited his list of rules from the past three years. “Don’t scare the children. Don’t hit Duro with your staff just because you can. Do not spike the fruit punch. Do not tell the toddlers the grapes are eyeballs. Do not try to pour lighter fluid in a pumpkin and light it just for fun. No exploding pumpkins. No smashing pumpkins. No stomping pumpkins. No random bouts of pumpkin baseball or hockey. And save some of the good candy for me.”

“Done and done,” Agron promised. He grabbed his staff in one hand and held out his arm to Nasir with the other. “I still say you should’ve dressed up as Carlos.”

“Maybe in a few years I will concede to couples costumes,” Nasir admitted. “Until then, I‘d rather leave that honor to your parents.”

Agron’s lips twitched. “Fair point.”

As they walked downstairs Nasir peered through one of the windows. It seemed liked half the neighborhood was already there for the annual extravaganza. Nasir did understand this aspect of it. The Metzgers were all about forging ties with their local community. From Conrad’s military ideals to Mina’s social activist ones, they both agreed on doing all they could to make a safe, fun place for kids to enjoy. Nothing was ever that scary here. Even the haunted house was far from a terror fest. Well, minus Duro’s attempt at a Boris Karloff impression. 

Mina and Conrad stood at the end of the driveway dressed up like Morticia and Gomez Addams greeting all the newcomers. Lugo was there too, painted Green and doing a Hulk impression to the delight of the crowd. 

Nasir almost fell on his face when he saw Chadara. 

“How the hell did she get you to dress up like Heidi?”

Chadara rolled her eyes as Saxa kissed her temple. “I’m sure you’re well aware of the Metzger methods of persuasion,” she said. Chadara shook her arm. “I honestly think Saxa made me pull something this time.”

Saxa, looking far too innocent and adorable with the cat-ears headband nestled in her hair, just winked. She did look utterly blissed out. 

“You’ve also turned our typical Saxa-lion into a domesticated house cat,” Agron said. 

There was a distinct look in his eyes and Nasir pinched him hard before he dared make a pussy cat joke. Agron pouted but kept his mouth shut.

“Have you seen Duro yet?” Chadara asked. “He actually looks charming.”

“Charming?” Nasir asked. Duro didn’t go for charming when it came to Halloween. He went for fake blood and slasher flick villains. He used hook hands and chainsaws for props with glee. Duro and charming did not fit together on Halloween.

“He told me he was pulling out the Freddy Krueger again this year,” Agron said.

Saxa smirked. “Diona hates _Nightmare on Elm Street_. It traumatized her as kid. She asked Duro to pick something less serial killer.”

Which meant Duro would take the polite request as a command. He was still in the stupidly besotted phase of the relationship. Which, granted, never really went away in this family but did eventually fade. 

“What’s Diona dressed up as?” he asked.

“Alice from the SyFy mini-series,” Saxa said. “I want her coat. She made it herself.”

Chadara kissed Saxa’s cheek. “She promised to make one in your size, hun.”

“And Duro’s dressed up as what?” Agron asked.

Chadara and Saxa grinned. “Hatter,” they answered in unison.

Nasir quietly groaned. He looked up to meet Agron’s half-amused, half-annoyed face.

“So, how early is too early for a couples costume again?” he asked.

Nasir kissed the side of Agron’s neck. “They’re young and in the throes of new love or some bullshit. Let them have this sappy, romantic Halloween in peace and without any comments.”

Agron sighed. “I had to marry a cynical bastard.”

“Shut your mouth, my parents were legally wed,” Nasir teased. 

*************************

The Metzger’s family room was a mess of used cups, candy wrappers, and empty pumpkin pie tins. Nasir couldn’t move he was so stuffed and he had no problems using Agron as a bed. It would help if his bed would stop moving though.

Agron tapped Nasir’s lips. “No pouting, I’m just getting comfortable.”

Diona yawned as she curled up into Duro’s side. “It’s only 10pm and I’m already exhausted.”

“Sugar rushes and small children will do that,” Chadara agreed. She started pulling the bobby pins out of her hair. “What’s next?”

“Movie time,” Duro said with glee. 

Diona made a noise. “Please, not _Evil Dead_ again. I’m still having nightmares.”

Everyone aww-ed as Duro kissed her forehead. He chose to ignore them all. “No worries, Di. Ever since Agron’s _Tales from the Crypt_ incident when he was eleven, we’re not allowed to watch horror movies on or near Halloween.”

“Still?’ Diona asked.

“That fucking cackle haunts me in my sleep,” Agron growled. 

Nasir patted his stomach. They didn’t talk about it. They especially didn’t talk about the year Dagan and Nasir helped Donar sneak up Agron with a soundbite of the Crypt Keeper’s laugh. Donar and Agron lost their security deposit from how hard Agron came out of sleep and punched the wall. 

“So what are we watching then?” Chadara asked.

“ _Clue_ ,” Mina said as she walked in. Conrad trailed behind her with a tray of hot chocolate.

It was almost enough for Nasir to sit-up. _Almost_. 

“Farm boy, fetch me that hot chocolate,” he said to Agron.

Agron carefully maneuvered out from under him. “As you wish,” he said. 

Nasir didn’t get the big whoop about Halloween, but he understood family time. And this, all of them, right here, half in costume and coming down from sugar highs, already quoting lines from the movie, this he understood and cherished.


End file.
